About a year ago, I read an interesting post from one of my friends on Facebook. He said that when we die and go to heaven, we will realize just how many things about God we actually got wrong. I couldn’t agree more. There is not a single person alive who gets it 100 percent right at all times. For most of us who identify ourselves as Christians, we try to live a life reflective of who we believe Jesus has called us to be. However, we are shackled by our imperfections. We have imperfect actions, thoughts and reasoning abilities, which even impact the way we interpret the Bible. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

When it comes to interpreting the Bible, I believe that it is impossible to completely comprehend God’s word solely through scholastic measures. Spiritual discernment and revelation is also needed. Additionally, I also believe that our relationship with God is an intimate one. While Biblical truths are absolutes, there will be times when our Biblical interpretation will be based on our discernment and personal relationship with God. With that said, here’s a cute funny story.

Sometimes, we forget that God knows just how imperfect we are. In our pride, we try to camouflage our shortcomings. We fail to realize that it’s during our most vulnerable moments when God can really reassure us of who He is. The story of Gideon reminds us of just that.

In the story of Gideon, God had given Gideon a specific assignment. However, in his humanness, Gideon doubted God, and he asked God for a sign to reassure him that he had heard him correctly.

“36Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised, 37prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised.’ 38And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water,” (Judges 6:36-38, NLT).

Twice Gideon asked for a sign, and twice God obliged him. God did not chasten or chastise him.

Oftentimes, we feel as though we have to be perfect before God, and that is not the case. The story of Gideon shows that it’s okay to ask God for confirmation. I am not saying that we should have a lot system approach to God. What I am saying is that God is sensitive to our humanness. With that said, here is the cute, funny story:

A few moons ago, I was experiencing a tumultuous season. Although there seemed to be no immediate resolution to my situation, I felt as though the Spirit of God was reminding me that everything was going to be okay. However, I wasn’t sure whether I could trust the voice in my heart because everything around seemed far from okay.

One night, as I laid awake trying to figure out the solution to all my woes, God laid the story of Gideon on my heart. As I read the passages in the middle of the night, I was moved by Gideon’s humility. In that moment I decided to ask God for my own sign. I figured if He did it for Gideon, He could do it for me. A part of me felt silly.

“What could I pray for,” I thought. “What sign could I ask for, and what was the confirmation that I was looking for?”

I wanted to ask for a sign that I could not blame on mere coincidence. I wanted my sign to confirm the words that were whispered in my heart. After a few minutes of deliberation, I had finally come up with one, and it had to do with birds and my patio.

My entire back patio, with the exception of a small hole at the top where the squirrels had once used the mesh as a makeshift trampoline, is enclosed by a screen. That night, I prayed that if by morning, a bird had fallen through the hole and landed in the patio that would be my confirmation that everything would be okay. A part of me felt silly for making such an arbitrary prayer request. Nonetheless, the first thing I did the next morning was check the patio. There was no bird. Secretly, I was disappointed. More than that, I felt even more silly, but then a funny thing happened. Later that day, I was watching television on the sofa when something caught my eye. Hopping around in the patio was this guy:

I couldn’t contain my excitement. I just know my circumstances were about to change. I just knew that the breakthrough that I was praying for was about to take place. But it didn’t. A few weeks had passed and nothing had changed. My circumstances were still the same. But even though I felt silly, I couldn’t resist the urge to ask for another sign. This time I asked God to send a different kind of bird. When I awoke that morning, I had resigned to the fact that I had officially lost my mind. Then I heard a loud thud on my roof. I ran to the living room and peer outside, and this is what I saw:

I know many are probably thinking that these are all coincidences, but to me, they are the miracles that I had prayed for. I wish I could say that my circumstances changed that day. They didn’t. Though my circumstances hadn’t change, I had. That day, I had gotten the confirmation that I needed.

A lot of life is about perception and what we chose to believe. Oftentimes, our beliefs and our miracle coincide within the same space in our minds. Though I might not have seen a physical change that day, I did receive a peace that surpasses all understanding. I also learned that I didn’t have to be afraid to show God my humanness. I also learned that He was not afraid to meet me where I am. Perhaps He could meet you where you are too.

One of my favorite books growing up was “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” by Judy Bloom. I love the sentiment of the title. It’s a question that we have all asked God.

Today, we ask: Are you there God? It’s me, (insert your name). In our fallen world it’s easy to question God’s whereabouts. There are so many social and political issues that overwhelm the news. It’s easy to wonder if God cares about His World–If He cares about you. Why is God so seemingly quite? Are you there God? It’s me! That seems to be the cry of a generation.

One of the Scriptures that God laid on my heart a few days ago was John 29:20. “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Many of the daily occurrences in our fallen world serve to challenge our belief in God’s existence. Sometimes, if we look through the lenses of our natural eyes, we might be inclined to question whether or not God cares about His people. We might even ask ourselves, “Why should God care about us? We are just mere men.” Fortunately, the Bible reminds us that God does care about His creation. Psalms 8:4-6 says:

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, (KJV).

God cares so much about the intimate details of our lives that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.

Our finite knowledge cannot begin to explain the things of God. I don’t know why God sometimes appears silent when we need Him the most. I don’t really know whether He is, silent, that is. Maybe we miss His voice that sometimes comes in a whisper. The nature of these questions are too complex for me. However, I do know this. Gideon asked for a sign of God’s favor, and he got it. David asked for protection, and his enemies fled. The woman with the issue of blood needed health and was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ clothing. What do you need? Shout it from the rooftop. Scream His name! Petition His promises! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Are you there? It’s me!

Today’s Prayer: Lord, we come to you with hearts surrendered. Are you there? It’s me. Lord, hear our heart’s cry. Lord, show us your unrelenting love. Give us a sign like you did for Gideon. Today, we ask that you show us a sign of your awe and might. Lord, grant us protection as you did for David. Make our enemies our footstools. Heal our bodies like you did for the woman with the issue of blood. Lord, we thank you, and we bless you. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

One of my favorite books growing up was “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” by Judy Bloom. I love the sentiment of the title. It’s a question that we have all asked God.

Today, we ask: Are you there God? It’s me, (insert your name). In our fallen world it’s easy to question God’s whereabouts. There are so many social and political issues that overwhelm the news. It’s easy to wonder if God cares about His World–If He cares about you. Why is God so seemingly quite? Are you there God? It’s me! That seems to be the cry of a generation.

One of the Scriptures that God laid on my heart a few days ago was John 29:20. “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” Many of the daily occurrences in our fallen world serve to challenge our belief in God’s existence. Sometimes, if we look through the lenses of our natural eyes, we might be inclined to question whether or not God cares about His people. We might even ask ourselves, “Why should God care about us? We are just mere men.” Fortunately, the Bible reminds us that God does care about His creation. Psalms 8:4-6 says:

4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, (KJV).

God cares so much about the intimate details of our lives that He even knows the number of hairs on our heads.

Our finite knowledge cannot begin to explain the things of God. I don’t know why God sometimes appears silent when we need Him the most. I don’t really know whether He is, silent, that is. Maybe we miss His voice that sometimes comes in a whisper. The nature of these questions are too complex for me. However, I do know this. Gideon asked for a sign of God’s favor, and he got it. David asked for protection, and his enemies fled. The woman with the issue of blood needed health and was healed when she touched the hem of Jesus’ clothing. What do you need? Shout it from the rooftop. Scream His name! Petition His promises! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Are you there? It’s me!

Today’s Prayer: Lord, we come to you with hearts surrendered. Are you there? It’s me. Lord, hear our heart’s cry. Lord, show us your unrelenting love. Give us a sign like you did for Gideon. Today, we ask that you show us a sign of your awe and might. Lord, grant us protection as you did for David. Make our enemies our footstools. Heal our bodies like you did for the woman with the issue of blood. Lord, we thank you, and we bless you. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

In today’s society, success is usually thought to be determined by degree or pedigree. I am here to tell you that neither of those things are absolute qualifiers for success. When Paul spoke to the church in Corinth, he reminded them that few of them were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called them. He further went on to say that God often chooses the “things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful,” (1Corinthians 1:26-26, NLT). Now, this is not to say that there isn’t a value to education, for we know that God honors those who seek knowledge, counsel and wisdom. It is simply to say that our circumstances do not disqualify us from being great. Look at Gideon.

Too often God places a dream on our heart, and we erroneously think that we need an ensemble team to bring the vision to fruition. We are inclined to decline opportunities because we think that we lack the skills needed to accomplish the task. In the Old Testament, Moses tried to hand over the opportunity to lead the Israelites out of bondage to Aaron because he thought that being a successful leader was directly correlated to an ability to speak well. Fortunately, God is more interested in using those who can walk the walk rather than those who talk the talk. So how does that tie into the story of Gideon?

God had called Gideon to defeat the Midianites. Like many of us, Gideon doubted that God could really use him to do something so extraordinary. Thankfully, what Gideon soon came to realize was that his weakness was inversely proportional to God’s strength. In other words, he realized that when he was weak, God was strong, and it was that epiphany that allowed him to grow in strength.

Prior to battling the Midianites, Gideon had 32,000 men. God told him to send home those who were fearful. Twenty-two thousand men left. Gideon was left with an army of 10,000. Still God was unsatisfied. He ordered Gideon to bring the men to the stream and “[d]ivide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream,” (NLT). There were three hundred men that drank from their hand. Finally, God was satisfied. With a total of 300 men, God delivered the Midianites into the hands of the Israelites (Judges 7).

The story of Gideon serves as an amazing demonstration of God’s ability to elevate us above our circumstances. In the natural, there was no way that Gideon could have defeated an entire army with only 300 men. However, God reduced the size of Gideon’s army so that He would receive the glory. The first lesson that you and I should learn from Gideon is that when we are called to do the impossible with only a skeletal crew, it’s not because God is punishing us. It’s simply because He wants us, and others, to know that success is not based on a formula, but is predetermined by God. The second lesson to be learned from Gideon is that not everyone in our camp is destined or willing to fight. Know that the dream that God gave us was given to us. Not everyone in our camp is meant to go with us to battle. In order to achieve victory, sometimes, we have to get rid of those who are stumbling blocks. In the case of Gideon, had God not gotten rid of those who were “timid or afraid,” it might have cost them the battle. Under pressure, those eliminated individuals might have surrendered or betrayed their camp. The third lesson to be learned from Gideon is that when God gives us a dream, it’s better to have a faithful few than a lazy bunch. Those who drank from their hands proved to be hard workers and go-getters. They didn’t just kneel at the stream and waited for the water to flow into their mouths. They took the initiative. We want people in our camps that take initiative. The last lesson that we learned from Gideon is a little off topic, but equally important.

The Bible says that God will make our enemies our footstool (Luke 20:43). We should know that oftentimes, God will use our very enemies to announce our victory. In the case of Gideon, God used the Midianites to announce the Israelites’ victory:

The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. 9That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”

So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! 13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”

14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes,” (Judges 7:8-15, NLT)!

Know today that God has called each and every one of us for something great. If God can use flawed individuals such as Moses, Gideon, David, Ruth, and Esther, imagine what He could do with us.